Manufacture of artificial filaments and the like



W. P. DREAPER.

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.16, I922.

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MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMENTS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I6. 1922.

1,437,341. t dN0v.28, 1922.

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STATES WILLIAM PORTER DBEAPEB, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL FILAMEN'IS 'rmr LIKE- Application flled January 16, 1922. Serial No. 529,785.

To all whom it may concern Britain, residing at London, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Artificial Filaments and the like, of which the following is a specification.

The manufacture of staple fibre by cuttingartificial silk skeins into short lengtllis t e production of spun yarn has naturallfy folowed the process of manufacture o artificial silk up to the time where the skeins are finally cut up as described. On cutting, the short lengths of filament gradually separate as the short lengths of strand gradually loose their twist or throw. The sta le fibre here referred to is bright and silk like product similar in appearance to artificial silk except that it is present as filaments of predetermined length.

In the present invention the process of,

manufacture is materially simplified and the production of a twisted yarn similar to that of artificial silk is obviated, but at the same time filaments in staple fibre form are finally obtained possessing the brightness and softness of ordinary artificial silk. Also it is ossible to produce staple fibre of this quality in increased quantlty over that ordinarily obtained when such staple fibre is repared from inferior or rejected skeins o artificial silk prepared originally in ordinary sizes.

According to my invention, the strands I of filaments as they leave the spinning batn are led directly on to the arms of a suitable winder to be hereinafter described, distributing the strands on the same in the manner to be described. In this way an ordered skein of filaments arranged in parallel form is obtained which could not be ordinarily rewound in strand form as it comes from the corn osite jets as in the case of artificial silk. hese filaments can then be subsequently treated in any we that is required without dama e and uitimately dried in a stretched con ition either on the original .winder or after removal from the same on a stretchin frame. Thus by immediately forming t e issuing filaments into skeins, and cross-lacing the skeins, they can be handled with facility and they are in a state of order in which they remain until the skeins are finally cut up so as to obtain filaments of predetermined lengths,

which completes-the production of staple fibre which has the qualities of ordinary artificial silk so far as evenness of filament and brightness and softness are concerned. A suitable apparatus for carrying the said invention into practice is shown in the accompanying drawm in which Figure 1 is a side e evation and Figure 2 a vertical central section.

The strand A of filaments possibly to a number of 200, (e. g. produced from a single 'et which contains the requisite number of oles) are led down the precipitating bath and then out of the same over a suitable guider-wheel B which is adapted to rotate and also move axially on a shaft C. The guider is reciprocated axially on'the shaft C by means of a roller D which rolls in an annular groove'E in the hub of the guider and has a reciprocatory fiiotion imparted to it in any known manner through the rod F. In some cases the wheel B may be replaced by a reciprocating guide fork of glass or other suitable material. By this means the strand of filaments A is spread on the working surface of the arms of a skein winding frame or winder, which is of such a diameter that a full sized skein is at once produced at this early stage of manufacture, in which form it remains until the filaments are finally out up into short lengths and become staple fibre. The skein winding frame, comprises a series of arms G, G mounted on a hub H secured to a driving shaft J, that turns in bearings K, K and is provided with a drivin pulley L. Four of the arms G, G are ma e rigid and have segmental flanged ends M, M to receive the strand. The remaining two diametrically opposite arms G, G are made in two relatively movable parts, their outer parts N, N being made separately and adapted to slide in gnideways O, O in the outer ends of the fixed inner parts '(i', G. The outer parts N, N bear the flanged ends M, M and are slotted at P, P to receive screw-threaded studs Q, Q fixed on the arms G, G and provided with fly-nuts R, R to enable the movable parts N, N to be secured in an positions to which they may be adjuste The exact positions to w ich the parts N, N are set may be determined by means of distanceieces S, S arranged between the inner on of the parts N, N and the hub H, one pair of distance-pieces beingused when the strand is being wound on the frame and another thicker pair when the wound skein is to be stretched. The parts N, N may also be rovided with graduations, as indicated at in Figure 1, to facilitate adjustment to any desired position. If desired more or all of the arms may bewmade adjustable as above described.

The apparatus above described is only given by way of example.

In an alternative form the guider may remain stationary and the winder G, M may move from side to side so that the same effect is produced. 7

Thestrands wound to such a suitable diameter and the filaments 'openly packed by the side to side movement of the said guider B are subsequently washed or otherwise treated on the winder G, M and with advant also finally dried on the same in a stret d zd condition, so that the required brightness of the staple fibre can beobtained- The filaments are thus produced in quantity and at a cheaper rate than they could otherwise be produced. All handling of the filaments is obviated, also any loss through rewinding' such as occurs in ordinary artificial silk production. The winders may be long enough to hold several such skeins of filaments as these are wound side by side on the arms of the winder from a 7 correspond number of jets in the bath, se arate gui ers being preferably employed.

e removal of the surplus water from the skein just before the process of drying in a stretched condition may be facilitated by rapidly revolving the winder so as to throw off the surplus water by centrifugal force. The drying may be assisted by directing a strong blast of air on to the surface of the skein whilst the latter is revolved as above mentioned.

When suflicient strand has been collected onthe winder the skein so formed is cross laced in, for example,

three equidistant places,

to prevent any slipping or disarrangi g of. the filaments and at this stage the skein may be removed from the winder by shortening one or more of these arms and handled from this stage, as a skein of artificial. silk might be, and finally dried in the "required stretched condition to ensure bri htness referably however the skein is kept on the winder and washed or otherwise treated on the same. To effect this the winder may be removed from its position and mounted over a bath of water or other liquid or a succession of baths in such a manner that it revolves and dips at its lower part into the said solution and is thus treated evenly with the same solution or solutions. When it is required to dry the skein of filaments in a stretched condition on the original winder,

one or more of-the said arms over which the filaments have been wound are by suitable means extended just before drying so that the required stretch is given to the filaments.

If for any reason it is desired to start the washing or treating operations directly the filaments are wound this can be effected by allowing the revolving winder to just dip into a bath of the required liquid.

If it is desired to introduce a small percentage of natural silk, .this can be effected by winding on to the winder, at the same time as the filaments are wound, a single thread of silk which will give the required admixture. In this case it is possible to degum the silk used if this is raw silk by 'the natural silk cuts through or damages the artificial filaments.

If the filaments are to be dyed before the are cut up into staple fibre, this may stil be done on the winder ii' 'provisien is made for the arms to be suitably relaxed during the time cfd'yeing.

What I claim is 2- 1. A process of producing staple fibre, consisting in that a strand of artificial silk is wound in an untwisted condition on to a skein winding frame, treated with a suitable liquid, stretched. dried in such st etched condition, and then cut up into suitable lengths for forming staple fibre.

2. A process of producing staple fibre, consisting in that a strand of artificial silk is wound in an untwisted condition on to a skein windin frame, treated with a suitable liquid onsuc frame, stretched by forcibly expanding such frame, dried in the stretched condition, and then cut up into suitable lengths for forming staple fibre.

3. A process of producing staple fibre, consisting in that a strand of artificial silk is wound in an untwisted condition on to a skein winding frame, treated with a suitlaced, treatedwith a suitable liquid,

stretched, dried in such stretched condition, and then cut up into suitable lengths for forming staple fibre.

5. A process of producing staple fibre, consisting in that a strand of artificial silk is wound in an untwisted condition on to a skein winding frame in conjunction with natural filaments, treated with a suitable liquid stretched, dried in such stretched condition, and then cut up into suitable lengths for forming staple fibre.

6. A process of producing staple fibre having the lustre of the artificial strand, from strands of artificial silk, consisting in winding a strand of artificial silk in untwisted condition, treating the filament so wound with a suitable liquid, subjecting said filament to stretching force outwardly in a plu rality of opposite radial directions, subjecting the filament to centrifugal force and to a blast of air, drying in the stretched .condition and cutting into lengths to form a staple fibre.

7. A process for producing. staple fibre from strands of artificial silk and retainin the lustre of the strands, consisting in win 'said frame, treating itwith a dye liquid, the

inga strand of artificial silk in an nntwisted condition on to a skein winding frame, treating it with a suitable liquid while on the 80 frame, stretching it by forcibly expanding the frame in a plurahty of opposite directions, drying it in the stretched condition on the frame, treating it with a liquid and relaxing the tension of the frame during 85 tension due to the frame being relaxed during such treatment, drying the strand and cutting staple fibre.

"W LIAM PORTER DREAPER.

1 Witness es:

1 1 co'am' Anson),

" [WALTER RoBINsoN.

to suitablelengths for forming 

